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BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y. A new eight-acre ball field built by developers of The Club at Briarcliff Manor senior living community is expected to open to Briarcliff residents in about a month.
Local officials joined with representatives of The Club at Briarcliff Manor at 25 Scarborough Rd. on Wednesday to formally dedicate the new village ball field with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and backyard barbecue.
"We're pleased that this is being turned to the village and it's being turned over early," said Briarcliff Mayor William Vescio. "This is really a coup for the village to have a soccer field in time for fall season soccer."
Matthew Phillips, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Development Group, the developer of The Club at Briarcliff Manor, said the ball field and a new hydro pneumatic water pressure system to replace an old water tank were two deals with the village that were struck at the beginning stages of planning for the 59-acre, $350 million senior living community.
"This great thing about this community is that it's so residential but there's not a lot of street traffic," Phillips said. "The ball field draws traffic. With the ball field opening early and the sales center opening early, it's a win-win situation."
The property on Scarborough Road where The Club is located used to be a well-known resort called the Briarcliff Lodge, said Dean Bender, a principal of Thompson & Bender public relations agency, which is working on publicity for The Club.
In the late 1930's, the resort closed and a girl's school was opened at the site. Then in the 1960's, King's College opened there and remained in operation until late 1994. In 2003, a fire destroyed some of the King's College buildings and the property remained unoccupied until 2008, when a permit was sought to build The Club.
The Club broke ground in January 2010 and it is expected to be fully built with 325 independent living units and 70 assisted care and skilled nursing units in 2013.
Most of the seniors who have signed up to live in The Club come from the local area, Philips said, with about 10 percent from Manhattan and 20 percent from out of state.
When The Club is fully finished, there are expected to be about 500 to 550 people living in the community, Phillips said.
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